RANIPET: A day after the death of a worker allegedly while cleaning a sewage tank at a leather factory in VC Mottur, Ranipet, the industrial safety department on Thursday temporarily halted operations at the facility, and issued a show-cause notice to the factory owner.
According to sources, the decision was taken after an inspection by the department officials at the factory — 'KA Raheed and sons' — confirmed that the factory management did not maintain the sewage tank in a safe manner and workers were involved in the cleaning work without any safety equipment, violating rules.
It may be noted that Raman (47), a factory worker, died on Wednesday after inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning a sewage tank in the factory. Another employee Kumar (38) and factory owner R Ahamed, who attempted to rescue Raman, also collapsed and are undergoing treatment at CMC hospital in Vellore. While Kumar is stable, Ahamed remains critical, officials added.
An official from the industrial safety department in Ranipet told TNIE that the worker had died after inhaling poisonous hydrogen sulphide, released from the sludge in the sewage tank. Following the inspection, it has been decided to temporarily halt operations at the factory until the maintenance issues are sorted, the official said.
"A show cause notice has been issued against R Ahamed, the factory owner. After considering his health condition, the future course of action will be taken," the official said.